Captain of Sunken Superyacht Refuses to Answer Prosecutors’ Questions, Lawyer Says

The captain of a superyacht that sank during a storm off Sicily last week, killing seven people, decided not to answer questions from prosecutors on Tuesday, his lawyer said.

James Cutfield, a 51-year-old New Zealand citizen, is being investigated for possible manslaughter and wrongful shipwreck charges and was questioned for a third time by prosecutors at Termini Imerese on Tuesday.

“He just exercised his right to remain silent, probably the prosecutors expected that,” lawyer Aldo Mordiglia told The Associated Press, adding that the captain’s legal team had just been appointed and needed time to work on his defensive strategy.

Captain of sunken superyacht under investigation

Cutfield was among 15 survivors of the Aug. 19 sinking that killed British tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his daughter Hannah and five others.

Chief prosecutor Ambrogio Cartosio, who is leading the investigation, said his team would consider every possible element of responsibility, including those of the captain, the crew, those in charge of supervision and the yacht’s manufacturer.

The Bayesian, a 56-metre (184-foot) British-flagged luxury yacht, went down off the Mediterranean island in southern Italy. Investigators are focusing on how a sailboat deemed “unsinkable” by its manufacturer, the Italian shipyard Perini Navi, sank while a nearby sailboat remained largely unscathed.

Prosecutors said the event was “extremely fast” and could have been a “burst” – localized strong wind that descends from a storm and spreads quickly as it hits the ground.

The crew was saved except for the cook, while six passengers were trapped in the hull

Photo: Italian firefighter divers recover on August 23 the body of one of the victims of the superyacht that sank off the coast of Sicily. (Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse via AP)

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